Tough one for me to watch. I'll say this up front: most of the feedback is fair and made in a constructive manner. I will highlight that in his GR86 vs. GTI review, Jason noted that the Mk8 car does handle better than the outgoing one - and he didn't even get to try it on evenly matched tires. The chassis really is incredible, the brakes are sharp, and the car is fast as hell for what it is. I have no doubt it would murder a Mk7 on a back road or around a circuit, even on the same rubber.
But as for the interior... well, let's just say there are many people internally who feel the same. However, I will say that while some elements very much fall into the category of "answers to questions no one asked," I'd also contend the situation is not as dire as it might seem from this (again, fair) video.
First, this is an EU-spec test car with early software. It's laggy, no question. The North American spec cars arriving this fall have much-improved S/W that make the system much snappier, with a much faster boot up. There was also some odd stuff - the cars I've tested definitely didn't bring up the HVAC screen when triggering the heated steering. Jason didn't mention it, but other reviewers have harped on the infotainment for things like "needing 7 commands to disable ESC." These clearly didn't realize there's an easy, customizable shortcut menu giving direct access to basically anything you want - including ESC defeat.
Next, having lived with the exact same capacitive touch steering wheel in the Arteon for 5 months now, I expected to hate it. Instead, I've grown to really like it. There are indents for the buttons and you do learn to operate every one of the many functions without looking. The haptic feedback is good. The volume and track sliders are really easy to use. I've yet to accidentally activated the heated steering wheel, but do acknowledge this may happen in an aggressive driving (back road, track) situation - not something I really do with my big boat.
Again - is it "better" than regular buttons? No way, and I'd trade given the choice. But nor do I think it will be a turn-off for owners after a little while behind the wheel.
Some things - the slider controls on the centre stack, and their salt-in-the-wound lack of illumination - are misses, full stop. The consolation here is that a) the volume control on the wheel works really well and b) automatic HVAC tends to be "set and forget."
As for the comments about interior quality, I'll have to politely agree to disagree. I don't find the interior to feel any less substantial from my old Mk7s, aside from the lack of physical buttons (which always had nice tactile feedback). The H&K stereo is better than the old Fender system, and I am a sucker for cool ambient lighting. As for the seats, I personally find them nicer - in both support/comfort and quality - than the outgoing ones. Being more of a luddite, I do miss the "classic" feel of the old Mk7 interior, but I still look forward to spending plenty of time in the Mk8.
As a final note, with respect to the styling, I'll simply say this is a car that you absolutely need to see in person. It looks low slung and aggressive in the sheetmetal in a way that the Mk7 never did, which I feel suits the GTI & Golf R well.
All of the above is my personal opinion, and I don't expect it to sway anyone else. Ultimately I still believe the new-generation car is so good to drive, well-contented, and well-priced, that it will succeed. It's certainly got a few elements that feel like a step back from the prior car... though on balance, as Jason himself said, it's still a GTI. One ideally shouldn't need to "spend time" with a GTI to appreciate it more - turn-key simplicity has always been a hallmark. But for those who do? There's a lot to like here.